ગુજરાતી
English
Dilip Patel
Ahmedabad, July 3, 2025
Bharuch farmer Dhirendra Desai is the first farmer in Gujarat to cultivate the Natal variety of orange. He has received 30 national and 8 Gujarat awards. Natal is originally a world famous variety from Brazil. It has been prepared in India with new technology. He was known for banana cultivation, but now he is doing new experiments in orange cultivation. Oranges were cultivated through saplings in Assam and Coorg areas, but now that fruit is being cultivated in Gujarat.
Dhiren Desai says that as the first farmer of Gujarat, he has planted the Jain Sweet Orange (Natal Brazilian Orange) variety. This year he planted it on December 11, 2024.
Tissue culture rootstock is prepared in the laboratory and grafting of Natal variety is done on it.
The cost of one orange plant is Rs 300. Jain Irrigation in Jalgaon produces it. The Brazilian variety is grafted. Tissue culture technique. Many techniques are used to improve the yield and quality of oranges. The cost of the normal variety is Rs 60.
Distance
Dhiren Desai has planted 1182 plants. 13 guntha-13 by 9 plants have been planted in 3 acres.
Internal crops are to be grown through drip in the 13 feet space left in the middle. This year chori, green coriander have been planted in it. The company gives training for these.
40 to 80 kg yield is given per tree.
Climate
17 to 20 degree temperature is considered favorable for orange cultivation. This crop can bear a maximum of 40 degrees and a minimum of 27 degrees temperature. In dry climate, less water, heat during ripening, it bears fruit after three to four years. The temperature at the time of planting should be between 20 to 25 degrees.
How to prepare the field
Fruits are available for years. The soil of the field is loosened and then planted.
Cost and earnings
The better the care of oranges, the higher the yield. One tree can yield 100 to 150 kg of yield. By planting about 100 plants in one acre of field, 10000 to 15000 kg of production can be obtained.
Maharashtra
About 80 percent of orange production takes place in Maharashtra. But many such improved varieties have been developed, whose cultivation is possible in other states as well. Orange is the most important citrus fruit of India. Orange is also known as mandarin. Orange is famous for its fragrance, taste and health benefits.
Plant
Oranges are cultivated in 162 hectares in Gujarat and the production is 1377 tonnes. An average of 8.50 tonnes of fruits ripen per hectare. Last year, it was planted in 2 hectares of Narmada, 61 hectares of Banaskantha, 1 hectares of Patan, 15 hectares of Mehsana, 22 hectares of Sabarkantha, 37 hectares of Kutch, 15 hectares of Junagadh, 3 hectares of Bhavnagar, 23 hectares of Morbi, 23 hectares of Somnath and 27 hectares of Dwarka.
Since it is a lemon variety, its production can be good in Gujarat. However, how it will taste due to the climate will be very important. Since it is a new variety, the taste and sweetness of this variety will depend on it in Gujarat. Its origin place is Malaya, India or China. In India, it is grown in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Bengal, Maharashtra-Pune, Dhule and Nagpur. After banana and mango, orange is the most grown fruit. About 80 percent of oranges are produced in Maharashtra. But many such improved varieties have been developed, whose cultivation is also possible in other states Nagpur orange is known for its sweet and juicy taste,
The biggest feature of this orange is that it lasts for 20 days. It has more juice and sweetness than other varieties. Its fruit contains 2 to 3 seeds.
Dhiren Desai has planted two plants of 4 other varieties of Brazilian orange. So that he can know whether other varieties are grown or not. If in 2 or 4 years other varieties are good in production and quality, then they can also be planted.
Origin and cultivation of Natal Orange Brazilian orange
Natal Orange is a late-ripening sweet orange variety in Brazil. Today, this variety is grown extensively in the Brazilian states of Sao Paulo and western-southwestern Minas Gerais.
The late-ripening sweet orange is imported from Brazil, known for its high juice quality and productivity, and is a staple in the Brazilian orange belt.
Other important varieties:
Apart from Natal, other important sweet orange varieties in Brazil include Para (mid-season), Valencia (late-season) and Hamlin (early-season).
Brazil’s orange crop for the 2024-25 season was expected to be 320 million 90-pound boxes. This represents a 5.4 percent increase over the previous year.
Brazil is known for its orange juice.
Export destinations:
Brazilian oranges are exported mainly to the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland and Spain.
Oil
The volatile oil obtained from the peel is used for food flavoring, in the perfume industry and medicine. Its production is around 0.5%. The volatile oil obtained from the leaves and young branches is called ‘petitgrain oil’. Orange peel extract contains helipyridine 80.9 and norirutin 15.3 mg/g. In addition, the extract contains vitamin ‘C’ and pectin. The volatile oil contains 90% terpenes, limonene and aldehydes such as citral and citronella. The characteristic odor of the oil is due to the methyl anthranilate ester present in it. Peel oil is antifungal.
Health benefits of orange
Eating orange fruitWeight remains under control. VitaminsIt is a good source of vitamin C. It also contains many types of fiber properties. It helps in preventing frequent hunger. It can keep teeth healthy. It is rich in calcium, which strengthens the bones of teeth. It is beneficial in reducing blood pressure. It contains antioxidants that help prevent cold and cough. Vitamin C present in orange helps in relieving cold, cough and phlegm. (Google translation from Gujarati)
